Katy Perry "Dark Horse"

Building on a creative partnership that began on “California Gurls,” Cullen and Mirada worked alongside Katy Perry to bring her vision of the song to life on a one-of-a-kind narrative canvas. Together, they conceived a film in which legendary “Queen Katy-Pätra” sits on the throne of an Ancient Egyptian kingdom—infused with distinctly hip-hop textures—in front of a parade of would-be suitors, each about to learn just how far they’re in over their heads.

The film was envisioned as a cinematic experience: an unapologetic epic that breaks free from the traditional size and scope of a music video, and exists in the grand-scale of a major motion picture. From this foundation, the Mirada team set about designing the entire world of "Dark Horse": crafting characters, costumes, sets, props, and reimagined Egyptian motifs – building a mythic landscape defined by stylistic juxtapositions that mirror the track’s fluid mix of sexy pop aesthetic and more dangerous hip-hop-flavored underpinnings.